Florida, in-state rivals make dubious history

There isn’t a whole lot of “Sunshine” surrounding the big three programs in the state of Florida.

In Week 9 and Week 10, Florida, Florida State and Miami went a combined 0-6. It’s the first time ever that the Sunshine State’s “big three” all lost in back-to-back weeks.

Mark Richt’s Miami Hurricanes started the season with the highest ranking of the three (No. 8), but Florida has claimed ranking superiority much of the season following wins over Tennessee, Mississippi State and LSU.

Through nine games, Florida still has the best record (6-3), with Miami at 5-4 and FSU below .500 at 4-5. But back-to-back weekends of seeing the Gators score only in the teens while their SEC opponents score more than 35 points has a way of keeping a fan base from boasting superiority.

Even if the “big three” is down, don’t expect any invitations to UCF to make it a “big four.” The Knights, though currently undefeated, don’t have the history of the Gators, Seminoles and Hurricanes.

Though it is a down year for FSU, Dan Mullen’s squad should be plenty fired up for the chance to snap a five-year losing streak to the Noles come Nov. 24.

This is the first time that Miami, Florida and Florida State have all lost on two consecutive weekends.